Metal bolster



No. 752,508. PATENTED FEB. 16; 1904. A. B. BELLOWS. METAL BOLSTER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20, 1903.

N0 MODEL. 2 $HEETS-SHEET l.

INVENTOR I .3 ZQZT 'PATENTED FEB. i6,,1904.

A. BLBELLOWS.

METAL BOLSTBR. APPLICATION FILED JULY 20, 1903 N0 MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES m: annals PETERS ca. PHOTO-LIT"?- wmkmcmmn, r.

. of the joint of'Fig. 8.

UNITED STATES Patented February 16, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR B. BELLOWS, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA. I

METAL BQLSTER.

, SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 752,568, datedFebruary 16, 1904.

Application filed July 20, 1903. Serial N0.166,225. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

have invented a new and useful Metal Bolster,

of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,reference being bad to the ac companying drawings, forming part of thisvspecification, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view, partly broken away,showing one form of my improved bol- F1g. 2 1s a side elevation of thesame, 4

ster.

Fig. 3' is an end are detail perspective views showing, respectively,the inner box member, the end of the tension-bar, and the outer boxmember.

Figs. 7 and 8 are detail side elevations show-I ing modified forms ofthe end 'joint.

Fig. 9' is a vertical cross-section of the end joint of Fig. 7, and Fig.10is a similar cross-section My invention relates to the class of metalibolsters for trucks and cars, and is designed to afford a light, strong,and cheap device of this character. 5

The invention consists in a peculiar end joint by which the necessityfor rivet-holes in the tension member is done away with,

. thereby enabling me to reduce its weight and greatly decrease theamount of labor and workmanship in assembling the parts- It furtherconsists in the construction and arrangement of the end joint, ashereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, referring to the form of Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, Ishowthe bolster as having a tension member consisting of a bar ofrectangular cross-section, having portions 2 2 inclined upwardly inopposite directions from its center, where it. bears against the lowerhead of an I-beam strut 3. The outer end portions 4 4 of thistension-bar are bent downwardly at anangle to the parts 2 and are heldbetween the correspondingly-inclined faces 5 and 6 of two castings 7 and8. 'Referring to Figs 4, 5, and 6, the lower box-casting 7 is of generaltrough form with vertically-projecting sides 9 9, which are preferablyribbed externally, as shown at 10 10, to provide column-guides. Thefloor 7 of the Y I member.

. ends of the block 11.

box is provided with an upwardly-projecting hollow block 11, whose frontface fits the angle of the-tension member, while the rearface 6 fits thedownwardly-bent portion 4. The block 11 is preferably cored out forlightness and is of less width than the box, leaving recesses betweenits ends and the box sides. The box is provided with side rivet-holes 12and also with rivet-holes l3,extending through the bottom of the castingand through and at right angles to the face 6.

The top casting 8 is of less width than the lower casting and hasdepending sides 14, which are provided with inwardly-projecting frontlugs 15, arranged to engage the front edges of the sides 9 of the lowerbar. The rear edges of the sides 14 butt against a crossbar 16 at therear end of the lower casting. The face 5 of .the upper casting isformed on an inclined partition 17 between the depend- ,ing sides 14 andreinforced by a central web,

between the sides of the upper box and fitting I down over the apex 19of the bent tension The casting 8 is provided at its rear end with anupwardly-projecting rib 20, which butts against the rear ends of the topmembers 21. I have shown these top members which form the compressionmember of the bolster as consisting of two angles whose flanges fitneatly between the sides of the box 7 and the depending sides of the boxSat the These parts are secured together by side rivets, which extendthrough the sides of the two box-castings and through the flange of theangle held between them.

The webs of the top members 21 are secured to the casting 8 by rivets 22extending vertically through them. The strut 3 butts against areinforcing-plate 23, secured to the under face of the angle-webs byrivets, which also extend through the usual center-plate 24. 25represents the side bearing members, which are secured to theangle-webs.

Instead of using two castings, as in the form above described, I mayemploy a single casting, which is formed with two faces at an angle toeach other to receive the bent end portion of the tension member. Thusin Figs. 7

. ends of the angles fit against the rib 20" on the casting. The singlecasting in this form amounts practically to a combining of the twocastings of the first form into one.

In Figs. 8' and 10 I show a form similar to that of Fig. 7 except thatthe angular slots in the casting 7 are of suflicient depth to receiveboth the tension member and the webs of the angles forming thecompression members. In this case the angles 21 are slotted and bentdown, as shown in Fig. 8. The parts in these figures are designated. asin the first form, adding the exponent a. I

It will be noted that in each case the lines of the centers of gravityof the tension and compression members intersect over the axis of thespring-seat and the center of gravity of the end joint is in thevertical axis of the nest of springs. This avoids the eccentric bendingmoment in the bolsters members near the ends common in all bolsters ofthe truss type.

The advantages of my invention result from doing away with rivets whichpass through the tension portion of the tension member. The fullcross-section of this member is thereby utilized, enabling it to be madeof less size and weight and materially reducing the amount of labor inassembling the parts. The bent end of the tension member being heldbetween the parallel surfaces of the box or holder gives a secure gripand does away with a large number of securing-rivets, the only rivetsused being to secure the clamping-surfaces together. It also savesthelabor of drilling a large number of holes for these rivets in thetension-bar, it being necessary to drill all such holes on account ofthe thickness of the bar. The castings may be easily and cheaply made,preferably from steel or malleable iron, and the work of riveting issmall. The riveting is all external and may be done by a machine. Theeccentric bending moment of other bolsters is avoided.

The compression member may be formed of a channel I-beam or other shape,the form of the casting or castings may be varied, and instead of thecasting the box may be formed of a channel-section with pressed shapesor castings, and many other changes may be made in the form andarrangement of the parts without departing from my invention.

1. A metal bolster having a tension member with its outer end portionbent down to form and a tension member having its end portion bent tofit over the apex and secured to place; substantially as described.

4. In a metal bolster, an end joint comprising a box structure, acompression member having vertical legs or flanges fitting the sides ofthe box, and a tension member having an end portion bent down to form anapex and held within the box; substantially as described.

5. A metal bolster having an upwardly-extending tension-member portionwith the end of such portion bent down to form an apex and perforated toreceive rivets or holdinglugs, the tension portion of the memberadjacent to the apex being imperforate; substantially as described.

6. A metal bolster having a tension member with its ends bent at anangle and held between parallel'surfaces in an end-joint box, said .boxhaving holding devices extending through the bent end portion of thetension member; substantially as described.

7 A metal bolster having an end joint comprising a casting havingvertical sides, and an inclined floor, a tension member with a bent endclamped on the floor by an upper parallel surface, and a compressionmember having vertical flangeainterfitting with the sides of thecastings; substantially as described.

8. A metal bolster having an end joint with two interfitting castingshaving a ridge portion and sides, a tension member having adownwardly-bent end portion arranged to fit on the ridge between theupper and lower castings, and a compression member having verticalflanges arranged to fit the sides of the casting; substantially asdescribed.

9. An end-joint box for bolsters comprising two interfitting castingsarranged to hold the end of the tension member between them, saidcastings having coacting end lugs independent of the tension member toprevent end movement of one relative to the other; substantially asdescribed.

10. A metal bolster'having an end box with a ridge arranged to fit thebent end edge of the tension member, said box having sides, a

compression member having flanges coacting with the sides, and rivetsextending through the box sides and said flanges; substantially asdescribed.

11. A metal bolster having tension and compression members, the tensionmember having sion and compression members; substantially its outer endportion bent down to form an as described. 1o apex with its adjacentintermediate portion; In testimony whereof I have hereunto set, andsecured in an end-joint structure, and a my hand.

spring-seat beneath the structure, the vertical ARTHUR B. BELLOWS. axisof the spring-seat passing substantially Witnesses: through theintersection of lines through the GEO. B. BLEMING,

centers of gravity of and parallel to the ten- L. M. REDMAN.

